Winding down thoughts

After a decent nights sleep in a bed as big as I’ve ever seen we went in
search of a ditty bag. I know, the wife reminded me, I was supposed to
pack my old Navy issue ditty bag; but when we got to our room the ditty
bag didn’t. No problem as we just went and bought another.

When we returned from purchasing the mesh ditty bag the moon was high in
in western sky so I got the picture above. We didn’t see it earlier as
our room faces east and we had to go further east to get to a WalMart for
the cheap bag. Heading back was another story as the moon greeted us
through the windshield.

The time with our granddaughter went well last night and we were still
smiling this morning over her antics. I can’t go 10 minutes without
popping a tic tac in my mouth and as Anna watched she stated if I gave
her a tic tac it would make her feel better. So I did.

Of course the next time I grabbed for them she still wasn’t feeling the
best. So today when we stopped to get the ditty bag we picked up her own
pack of my favorite breath mint. Not sure how long the pack will last but
I’m not going to be her supplier until the next fad hits.

Finally the lady who follows me around keeps sneaking pictures of me and
maliciously posting them online. The argument is one-sided as I can’t
win anyway and my hearing is getting worse. We’ll see how things go. I
haven’t had a pizza since we left but have had biscuits and gravy and a
few cheeseburgers to counter the absence of pizza in my diet.

Enjoy our Friday as it’s the beginning of a long holiday for some. Now
I need some coffee before the action starts.
Comments are always welcome.

We’re here…

When we woke up this morning in Lebanon, Missouri, the sunrise greeted
us as the trunk got loaded for our final leg of our trip to Oklahoma.
After running into rain that came down so hard you couldn’t see the end
of the hood for about 10 miles we can only hope the car was driving by
wire or some such technology. With the cruise control set on 80 mph we
were just hanging on.

Speaking of technology, I had no internet access yesterday or today until
we reached our motel a short while ago. There are more pictures but it
may take a few days to get used to my new laptop. Things are just
different enough to make me dangerous to the computer.

I should have the new system worked out about the time I go bald or
said computer ends up smashed in the parking lot. As I’m getting older
I find my short fuse is getting better but not cured. The lady who
follows me around is having a ball while I’m melting in the heat.

We’ll leave you there as our granddaughter is stopping by for a visit
and it’s our job to spoil her. Enjoy our Thursday as that means the
weekend is only a dream away. Now to hunt up more coffee so I don’t get
worn out.
Comments are always welcome

Last one

Yesterday the sky was doing some interesting things that seem
to highlight different colors and textures. Today, although
late, is this last post before we point the hood in a southerly
direction and start the traveling portion in the vacation of the
lady who follows me around.

Today we are also getting rain which didn’t start until after I
left the doctors’ office. That means my glasses are really clean
but I’m getting tired of drying off once inside. And the visit
with doc went better than I expected.

Doc came in the room and said everything looked great. Blood
work turned out great, my blood pressure was great, my weight
was right where it should be. And I waited for the but…
Sure enough he then listened to lungs and said “your lungs sound
terrible”.

Well that would explain how I can’t seem to get much done. So I
am now on 3 inhalers along with the other medicine. And that’s
the part about getting old nobody tells you about. I rarely took
even an aspirin in my youth yet as I age it appears Big Pharma
can’t live without me.

As mentioned we will head out tomorrow morning and cruise into
Missouri until we feel the need to stop, or get distracted. Then
the next day we’ll make it Muskogee, Oklahoma. Not sure what
we’ll run into but we’ll worry about it when we hit it.

Now I better get this posted as the thunder is as loud as I’ve
ever heard it and we may lose power. Enjoy our Tuesday as we
are. Now I need some coffee and possibly night vision goggles.
Comments are always welcome.

Is it just me?

We will forewarn you that the following may upset some who
can’t get past the fact that not all people think alike. If you
cannot grasp that concept please look elsewhere. To everyone
else, read on.

A little birdie told me that we’re getting closer to the day
we head toward the open road and I might want to start packing
some clothes and things in my ditty bag. I guess it is about
time. The trunk is usually full by the head out yet I know this
dreaded chore has to be done.

The same little birdie told me John McCain had died and while I
realize he accomplished a lot in his life I didn’t know he was
the second coming of Christ. The wife watches the morning news
programs so I couldn’t miss the fact that the time spent talking
about him was more than all other “news” combined.

I have nothing against the man yet when the media capitalizes
on on a subject it gets old fast and I wonder why all the laser
focused coverage and what aren’t they telling us. It just seems
to me a giant excuse for Congress to continue doing nothing.

Yesterday was not my day so today has to be better. A simple
chore of changing the password on this site knocked me off for
the rest of the day. Things were different this morning when I
managed the chore on the first try doing the same thing tried
yesterday that ended in failure.

And that got me thinking. You ever see a black squirrel on the
rooftop looking like he wants to jump off and attack you? Yeah,
me either, it was just a thought. Enjoy our Monday as I am now
that I can get back on WordPress. Now for some coffee and some
packing.
Comments are always welcome.

Weekend wrap-up

The storm, hail, wind, and other weather events that were
forecast to hit here the other night decided to go elsewhere. I
was out in the backyard waiting for storm but after 3 hours came
back into the house. I don’t believe the wind ever got passed 20
mph.

Yesterday it got hotter than Hades with temps in the 90s and
humidity around 70% so other than to snap a few pictures, feed
and water the feral cats, and sweat, I wasn’t outside much. I
went out later to get a picture of the moon but couldn’t see it
for the clouds.

Today, we did some running to do to get ready for our cruise to
Oklahoma but when we got back the lady who follows me around and
myself felt restless. Since it was Farm Days in the Village we
decided some time with old tractors may be just the ticket.

We walked to the upper level of Lindsay Park which is one of
favorite parts of the area and surprised to find it empty save
for one mother and her child. When you get there and stand along
the bluff you can see the statue of the two boys looking at the
river that was done by John Bloom. I caught it just as a
pelican was floating by and it looked like the boy was pointing
at it.

When you’re up in the park, and on the bluff, you can see from
Bettendorf to downtown Davenport and the Rock Island Arsenal
between. The arsenal is on an island and the bluff gives an
excellent view.

And as a bonus, the trains run between the park and river with
the elevation of the park giving an interesting photo angle. So
all in all we’d call it a great weekend. Enjoy the rest of our
Sunday as that means Monday is just a dream away. Now for some
more coffee.
Comments are always welcome.

Sunday snicker

One of the best examples of how ridiculous government paperwork can be is illustrated by a recent case in Louisiana. A company president was trying to buy some land in Louisiana for a plant expansion, and he wanted to finance this new facility with a government loan.

His lawyer filled out all the necessary forms, including the abstract—tracing the title to the land back to 1803. The government reviewed his application and abstract and sent the following reply:

‘We received today your letter enclosing application for your client supported by abstract of title. We have observed, however, that you have not traced the title previous to 1803, and before final approval, it will be necessary that the title be traced previous to that year. Yours truly.’

As a result, the lawyer sent the following letter to the government:

‘Gentlemen, your letter regarding title received. I note you wish title to be claimed back further than I have done it.

‘I was unaware that any educated man failed to know that Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France in 1803. The title of the land was acquired by France by right of conquest of Spain. The land came into possession of Spain in 1492 by right of discovery by a Spanish-Portugese sailor named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by Queen Isabella.

‘The good queen, being a pious woman and careful about title, took the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope of Rome upon Columbus’ voyage before she sold her jewels to help him.

‘Now the Pope, as you know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. And God made the world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to assume that He also made that part of the United States called Louisiana, and I now hope you’re satisfied.’

Odds and ends

When the moon came out last it had a little ring of light around
it trying to shine through the haze while creating a pleasant
distraction in the dark sky. Soon we’ll have another full moon.

This one will appear the night of Saturday, august 25 and the
early morning of Sunday, August 26. This full moon is usually
referred to as the Sturgeon Moon or the Full Green Corn Moon.

Some other Native American names for this full moon are; Wheat
Cut Moon, Blueberry Moon, and Moon When All Things Ripen. If the
weather cooperates we’ll try to get a better picture than the one
above.

We probably won’t get a moon picture tonight as we’re supposed
to get hit with a storm. Depending on which news source you get
you weather from we’re either going to get thunderstorms and
wind, OR, torrential downpours with baseball sized hail, lots
of thunder and lightening, 50 mph sustained winds, and a
tornado.

Yeah, I’ll be out there in my Coca-Cola lawn chair waiting see
which it is, but the camera will be inside just in case. If
things get too bad a move to the porch might be in order as a
backup plan.

And earlier this morning we made our last trip to the grocery
store before leaving on vacation the middle of next week. I guess
now would be a good time to find my ditty bag.

Enjoy our Friday as that means the weekend is here. Now I need
some coffee and some low-fat doughnut holes.
Comments are always welcome.

SSDD

I watched a little bit of a media newscast and was quickly
reminded of why I don’t watch the news channels. I got the
impression said news channel believes Trump is the biggest
threat to our country, and the world.

But we have a news flash for them; they are no longer relevent.
A blind man could see their bias approach to the news. Instead
of reporting actual news they choose to recite their opinion of
it. And that’s ok. I have better things to do than watch a bunch
of over paid, legends in their minds, bigots try to change my
way of thinking.

So here’s what we think. Trump will be president for 4-8 years,
the same as those before him. Every election those running for
president have a list of problems they want to correct if
elected. And every time we see faces of the career politicians,
who hadn’t fixed said problems, voicing their opinions.

It is these career politicians who are the problem, not the
occupant of the White House at any given time. These same
Senators and Representatives, who have held office for decades,
don’t want the president telling the truth about them. I’d like
to see just one these people stand up and state they would vote
for term limits for themselves.

Perhaps it is time to drain the swamp and stop the Same Shit
Different Day mentality.

Enjoy our Thursday as we will. We have a few things to prepare
for our upcoming vacation and I need more coffee.
Comments are are always welcome.

We’ll see

This robin appeared to be enjoying the day watching the sky as
clouds floated across it. Birds must like power lines as when
we’re out and about we see birds on said lines. Must have a
good view from the narrow perch.

Before long the robin took off for other power lines or
whatever else interests them. Also noticed a lot of birds flying
into the greenery on the neighbors tree. By the sheer number of
them there must have been a convention.

And a week from today we will start a vacation and head in
the general direction of Oklahoma. I guess a glance at a map
would be in order but know the general direction of our
destination. The lady who follows me around want to use GPS but
after my last experience with the device I have doubts.

Returning from our last trip to Idaho the GPS thingy said to
turn off the Interstate right after we’d passed a sign that
stated our destination was 10 miles away. After driving down a
two lane blacktop, heading away from where we wanted to be, we
finally heard ‘turn left ahead’ and started down a gravel road.

When the box said ‘you have reached your destination’ we took
a look around at the intersection of two gravel roads with not
a building in sight. At that point I lost my faith in technology
and told the lady who follows me around to shut the thing off.
I’ll take a road atlas along just in case.

Enjoy our Wednesday as it is the mid-point of the week for you
working folks. Now I need some coffee to get keep the day going.
Comments are always welcome.

Thoughts on Tuesday

The old steeple was surrounded by clouds and it was quite a
sight. Yes, this post is late, but after a visit with Dad we
decided lunch in a sit down restaurant sounded better that
buttered toast at our kitchen table.

Dad was sawing logs when I got there and swore I got him out
of really good dream and then we had a chat. We talked of the
six horse hitches at the Iowa State Fair and how there are some
great teams in the fair.

We covered the recent rains and how his care giver wouldn’t let
him observe ‘No Pants Day’. I had no comment for that. If he
wants to run around his own house in his skivvies I don’t see
a problem but can also see the caregiver not wanting to witness
the event.

Our vacation is rolling up fast and today the caregiver told me
she is taking a week off to go to Colorado. Seemed like as good a
place as any to head to. As for us, we’ll be heading to Oklahoma
next Wednesday to see if trouble finds me down there.

And the moon even came out from between the clouds for a while
yesterday so if you didn’t get a chance to see it, here is how
it looks from Iowa. Not the best shot ever as I’m guessing it’s
going to take a while for all the smoke from the wildfires out
west to pass through our little plot on the east end of Iowa.

So, Dad still has his sense of humor, the haze from the fires is
lessening, and the cardinal is still attacking his reflection in
the window. Looks like things are right where they need to be on
the east coast of Iowa today.

Enjoy our Tuesday as we know we will. Now for some more coffee
and perhaps a snack.
Comments are always welcome.